Texas Rangers and the Aftermath of the new World Series Champion
The Texas Rangers have finally become MLB World Series Champions, a feat they struggled to achieve for 63 years, and came very close to in 2010 and 2011.
The Rangers, and some of their members, achieved several milestones, which we will review below.
The Rangers’ Unbeatable Streak of 11-0
The Rangers surpassed one of the most unthinkable marks possible in the MLB. Never in the history of the MLB Postseason in the World Series era, has a team won all its away games.
The closest to this feat in a single season were the New York Yankees of 1996 and the Washington Nationals in 2019, both of whom ended up as World Series Champions.
Now with the 11-0 record, it seems impossible for any team to surpass this mark set by the Rangers, who proved throughout the postseason that they prefer and are inspired by hostile environments rather than their own home.
Another Wild Card
The Wild Card, created in 1995, gave teams that had a good season but were not the best in their division the opportunity to advance to the playoffs.
This has provided the MLB with great moments and champions.
In fact, only eight teams have won the World Series as a Wild Card.
The Florida Marlins, now the Miami Marlins, did it twice, in 1997 and 2003; the Anaheim Angels, now Los Angeles Angels in 2002; the Boston Red Sox in 2004; the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011; the San Francisco Giants in 2014; the Washington Nationals in 2019; and now, the Texas Rangers in 2023.
In fact, the American League waited 19 years for one of its Wild Cards to win the gold.
The Trophy Stays in Texas, but with Another Franchise
For the first time in the state’s history, Texas has repeated as MLB champion. In 2022, the Houston Astros achieved their second World Series title. Now, the Texas Rangers, located in Arlington, Texas, have won the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Texas is the sixth state in the United States to repeat an MLB title, regardless of which teams from the same state did it. They join Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, California, and Ohio. In Canada, the province of Ontario is the only one to have repeated an MLB title.
The Number 25
Sooner or later, a franchise in the United States will win the ultimate trophy in its sport if it has a good season. MLB is no exception.
With the victory of the Texas Rangers, the Arlington team became the 25th franchise to win an MLB title, with the Washington Nationals being the last new winner before the Texans in 2019.
Only the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, and Seattle Mariners remain in the current MLB without a World Series win.
Legendary Men
Not only is the success of a franchise recognized, but also the people who led it to glory.
In this case, three names stand out: Corey Seager, Will Smith, and Bruce Bochy.
Seager is the fourth player to win two World Series MVPs, joining Sandy Koufax in 1963 and 1965 with the Dodgers, Bob Gibson in 1964 and 1967 with the Cardinals, and Reggie Jackson in 1973 with the Athletics and 1977 with the Yankees.
What’s special about Seager is that he is the first in history to win two World Series MVPs with two different teams and in two different leagues. He won his 2020 MVP with the Dodgers of the National League.
Will Smith has won three consecutive World Series with three different teams. Although he did not play in the 2021 World Series, the title is still counted for him.
There are two other cases, Don Baylor and Eric Hinske, who played in three consecutive World Series but did not win three in a row like Smith.
And we close with Bruce Bochy. The Manager of the Rangers has reached his fourth World Series title, his first since 2014. The other three he won with the San Francisco Giants.
There are several facts that continue to amaze us about the magnificent victory of the Texas Rangers, who today can proudly say they are the new champions of baseball.
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